Frady Branch Trail Loop

Well, my cell phone battery gave out before we finished the hike so I estimate the total hike at 5.1 miles. I rate this hike as easy to moderately strenuous. Easy first half of the hike, but as we descended down to the draw where the Frady Branch flows we encounter numerous wash-outs and muddy stretches of the trail from the extensive horse traffic on the eastern side of this trail. Climbing back out of the draw toward the ridgeline road/trail, we also encountered a number of rocky and wet scrambles. None of these obstacles were that difficult, just a bit more challenging than the western side of the loop. We also encountered three shallow stream crossing which were passable via rock hopping. Frady Branch is not the most spectacular creek, but there was the pleasant sound of water flowing and an occasional rocky patch in the creek creating some minor cascades. There has been some removal of deadfall along the eastern section of the trail by the Forest Service which is nice. Also, while there is a fair amount of signage at trail intersections, there is no corresponding blazing of trees with the color coding of the trails in this area to match the signs, This would alleviate the confusion encountered by some hikers in their reviews. Having a GPS is really helpful to avoid taking the wrong trail. Overall, a nice hike on a cool and sunny day.